Five-star Saints fly past Falcons in MK

After the success of the World Cup, rugby returned to stadium:mk on Saturday as Northampton Saints crushed Newcastle Falcons 42-16.

Running in five tries, Christian Day and Ben Foden both helped themselves to doubles, with Luther Burrell also registering and Stephen Myler kicked 17 points as Jim Mallinder’s side made light work of Falcons.

It was a stirring response from Saints, who had suffered opening-night disappointment in a 13-12 defeat at Worcester Warriors eight days earlier.

With Franklin’s Gardens not available until the clash with Saracens on November 7, Mallinder’s men made Milton Keynes home once again, turning on the style in front of 20,034 fans.

And it got Saints back on track ahead of a tricky set of fixtures, with next week’s trip to Sale Sharks followed by a game against Saracens and back-to-back Champions Cup matches.

Newcastle did put up a fight, especially during the first half, but Saints were eventually too strong, scoring four times during the second period.

The victory lifts Saints to fourth in the Avia Premiership but it is still early days, with just two games played.